Fort Myers interim police Chief Dennis Eads has a plan to fix neighborhoods crippled by violent crime and its distrust of those sworn to serve and protect.

“A smile and a wave,” he told a room of reporters.

Eads, 50, met with members of the media to publicly answer questions for the first time since taking the post. Blunt and sarcastic, Eads joked around with reporters, saying that he never thought he would be in this position.

“I got sworn in, like, a minute ago,” he said.

City Manager Billy Mitchell fired Doug Baker on Aug. 14 after claims that he lied in the internal affairs investigation into Nate Allen’s wrongful arrest. Allen is a defensive back for the Oakland Raiders and former Cape Coral High football star. Mitchell is retiring Sept. 30, so it will be a new city manager who hires a police chief.

With captains on both sides of him, Eads said he won’t compare himself to Baker and is focused on moving forward.

“Everyone internally understands what happened,” he said.

October makes 29 years that Eads has been with the Police Department.

He knows things are different for police and civilians these days. Still, he feels officers riding with windows down and stopping to better know civilians will work.

“A lot of things have changed since cops used to take off their guns and shirts and play basketball with the neighborhood kids,” he said.

He added: “I don’t know that’s even possible now.”

Police investigations have been stymied by a lack of information from a community that prefers to handle justice on its own.

Eads said he is working on a community program with Pastor William Glover, who is with Mount Hermon Ministries in Dunbar; and the Lee Memorial Health System, but would not explain more.

Eads said the Police Department will move forward with plans not only to be more involved in communities, but also to crack down on gun violence.

“It’s nothing new,” he said.

When asked if he had a plan of how to curb gun crime, he replied: “I’m not going to tell you that I do.”

Eads said he has not had the time to think about whether he wants to stay in the chair full time.

“I’ll worry about my future in the future,” Eads said.

But as for if he can handle this adverse situation he’s in now: “I’m an extremely confident individual.”

He said he’s met with officers to make sure all of them are doing well in the highly publicized time of transition.

“They just want to make sure someone’s there for them,” he said. “And I am.”